Part I Botox
This article will be the first in a series of pieces describing the role of facial injectable materials in the world of cosmetic surgery and medicine. This subdiscipline within cosmetic and plastic surgery has skyrocketed over the last decade to surpass the number of plastic surgery procedures performed each year. For example, our first injectable substance to be discussed, Botox, was reported to have been injected about 3 million times in 2007 according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistics. This number is probably a large underestimation, as only 12,000 physicians in only 3 specialties (Plastic Surgery, Dermatology, Ear Nose and Throat) were surveyed to obtain these numbers. There are many more physicians both within and outside of these specialties injecting Botox, some competently and some highly incompetently. It is very important to choose American Board of Medical Specialties board certified Plastic Surgeons to insure that you are in the most competent care. Board certified Plastic Surgeons can be located on the American Board of Plastic Surgery website.
To understand the effectiveness of facial injectable materials we must first understand the components of the aging process that we are trying to reverse with these materials. The aging process is basically comprised of three components; loss of facial volume, mostly fat, but eventually including bone loss, thinning and loss of skin elasticity, and wrinkle formation. Botox is designed to address primarily the phenomenon of wrinkle formation. Simply put, wrinkles form mainly because of the prolonged action of the muscles of facial expression folding and creasing the skin over many years. Eventually, after years of this muscle activity the skin develops permanent creases or wrinkles. Or fortunately, with the availability of Botox and other injectable materials, perhaps not so permanent.
Botox Cosmetic (more commonly known as just Botox) is a substance that is injected into the muscles of facial expression. When injected, Botox weakens the muscles so that they are ineffective in causing wrinkles. This may also lead to less ability to show facial expression, but when performed properly, by a board certified Plastic Surgeon, can look very natural and still effectively erase wrinkles.
Botox can be injected into many different areas of the face to remove wrinkles and unwanted facial movements. The most common areas of use include the frown lines that occur between the eyebrows, the forehead wrinkles, and the crow’s feet fine wrinkles around the eyes. However, there are many other uses for Botox in facial rejuvenation. It can be used to smooth crinkled skin over the chin, stop bunny or wolf lines that occur over the nose area, turn up the corners of the mouth, raise drooping eyebrows and flatten those ugly bands of muscle that appear in the neck with aging. There are also many medical uses for Botox. It can be used to treat excessive sweating conditions in the hands, feet and underarms (hyperhidrosis). It can also be effective in certain types of migraine headache treatment. So, you can see how Botox has become such a popular product.
Finally, a word about safety. Recent media reports have attempted to bring to light the dangers of Botox injections. The adverse effects from Botox that occurred in a recently reported study were in patients who were receiving extremely high doses of Botox for muscular disorders such as spasticity and stroke patients. These patients are in no way similar to the cosmetic patient seeking facial rejuvenation. Botox has received FDA approval in the United States for cosmetic use. The FDA approval process insures that the product is both safe and effective. Of course, there are minor risks to any medical intervention, cosmetic or not, which is why it is important to choose a board certified Plastic Surgeon for your treatments.
